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Power Inverters for a Freezer

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Power Inverters for a Freezer

Old 06-30-2008, 05:59 AM
  #1  
Nontypical Buck
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Default Power Inverters for a Freezer

After reading the "After the shot...Shipping your elk" thread, I got to wondering about power inverters and taking a deep freeze with me for a hunt. My questions are;

1. Would it work?
2. Would I have to modify my truck in any way? i.e. new alternator, extra battery etc.
3. How much de-boned wrapped meat,does an elk yield?
and finally...
4. How big would my freezer and by extension the power inverter need to be?

Any thoughts or ideas.

Thanks,

HuntAway
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Old 06-30-2008, 08:30 AM
  #2  
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Default RE: Power Inverters for a Freezer

I looked in to power inverters for a small chest freezer when we went to Alaska and brought home our catches.Looked costly and to much time.

How far from home are you going to be?

What we did was take the cooler and stopped at RV parks on the way home.We plugged in the freezer at night and drove all day.Worked like a charm,everthing was froze and stayed all the way home.If you could alow a day for the meat to freeze you should be good.

A big elk might weigh 800lbs on the hoof,you can figure 250-300 lbs of meat.
BBJ
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Old 06-30-2008, 10:57 AM
  #3  
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Default RE: Power Inverters for a Freezer

Thanks for the reply BB J.
I live in North Easten Ontario and would be travelling to Southern Saskatchewan about 1600 miles there. About a three day trip comfortably. So overnighting and plugging in would definately be on.
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Old 06-30-2008, 04:55 PM
  #4  
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Default RE: Power Inverters for a Freezer

If available where you hunt/harvest, you could just put some dry ice in your cooler?
Would be cheaper/easier than "rigging something up".
We have used it and find that it will freeze previously unfrozen meat and keep it that way. Seal up your cooler with duct tape to prevent the gas from escaping and make sure that the dry ice is wrapped in several layers of newspaper etc. so as to prevent it from contacting your meat directly. (It will cause freezer burn if allowed direct contact).
Just my .02 worth....
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Old 07-01-2008, 12:48 PM
  #5  
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Default RE: Power Inverters for a Freezer

Thanks for your reply Red. I'm not sure on the availability of dry ice but it's something worth looking into.
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Old 07-01-2008, 09:54 PM
  #6  
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Default RE: Power Inverters for a Freezer

When we don’t fly we have hauled a 18 CU. Ft. freezer on the trailer. Once the meat is frozen it will stay that way for a good while. If you don’t travel straight thru you can use motels, rest stops and other areas to run the freezer off a drop cord (we have never been told no when we ask). If you travel straight thru we have never had any major problems. Once on a hot fall in the upper 80 degrees we did have to get the generator fired up and run it for a few hours to keep everything froze.

Our group all uses the freezer. When we get home we unload it in my garage. Everybody takes their meat and when we need it again I transfer my meat to the freezer in the house and we back the trailer up and off again.

Now with gas prices the way they are don’t know if our method is cost effective. Guess we will see later this year.


Goatslayer……..

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Old 07-02-2008, 01:34 AM
  #7  
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Default RE: Power Inverters for a Freezer

First off power inverters aren't cheep, but if you can use it for other things then it might be a good idea. The freezer will draw less than 100 watts when running, but it is the start up when the motor first kicks on that takes the max amount of power so make sure that you pick one with at least double your peak power requirement.

The freezer will work at its most optimum when it is kept full or nearly full. So pick the freezer you need to just cover the amount of meat you will be brings home with a small amount for excess (guessed too small). Of course if you can get the meat frozen before you put it into the freezer you will way better off and the freezer won’t have to work as hard.

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Old 07-02-2008, 10:18 AM
  #8  
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Default RE: Power Inverters for a Freezer

Every Wal-Mart down in these parts sells dry ice. Not sure about up Canada way. I bet there is some to be found along your way without much difficulty. We took the motor offan old chest freezer and take on our trips. With most of the weight gone, it only adds bulk space. We fill it with gear (okay, boxes of beer) on the way. Beer is gone on the way home and the kill has replaced it. I am sure there is a formula for how much dry ice to place in container based on the amount of meat to cool.
I can tell you for a fact that we placed "cooled" elk meat (2 quarted elk) in our "cooler" when leaving camp in the Rockies, placed 10 lbs of dry on top of it (wrapped in newspaper) and then driven 700 miles across the plains in temps you won't see in your part of the country.Didn't remove the duct tape around the lid until the following morning, and found the meat partially frozen when we did.
Just saying that is far cheaper and easier than messing with generator and plugs and such.

Good luck and let us know what you choose and how it works out for you.
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Old 07-02-2008, 06:28 PM
  #9  
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Default RE: Power Inverters for a Freezer

How about picking up one of those little two stroke 1 KW generators?

I know someone that did this on a trip to Canada from NV. He put the freezer and generator on the trailer, and went on his way. Worked fine.

Would be cheaper than an inverter and all of the necessarry attachments for the truck. Plus, the generator will have many uses afterwards.

Later,

Marcial
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Old 07-02-2008, 07:29 PM
  #10  
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Default RE: Power Inverters for a Freezer

Thanks for the replies all.

I have a 1 kw genny and I think that is the answer plus plug in at night. I was curious about the inverters as a no fuss thing but it appears that they are more trouble than they're worth.

I'm not sure on this but I think it is illegal to have a genny running while in motion here in Canada.

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